No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle is an action video game currently in development for the Wii video game system. It is being directed by Goichi Suda, developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by Marvelous Interactive Inc., and has a tentative release date of January 2010 in North America, and February or March 2010 in Europe. A Japanese release date has yet to be determined, although with the game's announcement in Chiba, Japan, and further confirmation in a press release by Marvelous Interactive, who were responsible for publishing No More Heroes in Japan, that they will be handling the publishing of Desperate Struggle as well, it is more than likely that the game will see release in the region. Development Plans for a No More Heroes sequel were first revealed shortly after the release of the first game, in a March 15, 2008 interview with Computer and Video Games, where Suda revealed he would be interested in producing a No More Heroes 2 for the Wii, on the condition that the game sold well enough to convince its publishers. With No More Heroes' positive reception in North America, and Martin Defries, manager of Rising Star Games who were responsible for publishing No More Heroes in Europe, raving about the sales of the first game, not only was it unlikely that Suda's intention to direct a follow-up would go unsupported, but this meant it was likely that the sequel would not be published exclusively in Japan. Release dates for Desperate Struggle in North America and Europe have been confirmed, though it is uncertain if Ubisoft and Rising Star Games respectively will be the publishing the game as they had No More Heroes. Desperate Struggle was announced on October 8, 2008, where a teaser trailer for the game was shown at the Tokyo Game Show in Chiba, Japan. This trailer provides little insight to the premise of the game, other than that the player will once again take control of Travis Touchdown, the protagonist from the first game. Following No More Heroes' suit of pitting Travis against unique adversaries, the trailer sees Travis preparing to battle a woman fitted with a six-limbed jet pack. Also, similar to the first game's numerous references to popular culture, in the trailer Travis says the Terminator series' catch phrase "I will be back" before initiating a sequence with music similar to that of the Terminator series' scores. Travis' attire has apparently been modified for Desperate Struggle, as well. Instead of his signature red jacket and Pure White Lover Bizarre Jelly t-shirt, Travis wears a black jacket, with ragged pants and a simple t-shirt reading "TRAVIS STRIKES AGAIN" in the trailer. Plot With the game's trailer scarce on details and its release date confirmed for no earlier than 2010, very little is known about the game's storyline. Furthermore, it is evident that the majority of what was seen in the trailer for No More Heroes shown at the Tokyo Game Show in 2006 did not make the final cut, including slightly different character models and voice acting, and Travis' fight with Helter-Skelter (which can be seen briefly during No More Heroes' introduction cinematic). From what appears in the Desperate Struggle trailer, it is clear that Travis Touchdown returns as protagonist to combat what may or may not be another series of assassins. This is implied by the fight that is clearly about to ensue between Travis and an unknown woman wearing a distinctive jet pack (the assassins of No More Heroes similarly had distinct modus operandi and appearances). A row of buildings can also be seen, topped by flags of Santa Destroy, California; one building even containing a giant mural of Travis' face. The flags imply that the game may once again take place either partially or entirely in Santa Destroy. Though the purpose for Travis' face appearing on a building is uncertain, this may simply be used to represent his rise from a stereotypical otaku to a capable assassin. Though it is heavily implied in the real ending of No More Heroes that Travis and his brother Henry honorably kill each other, this may not be the case due to Travis' appearance in the trailer. This indicates that Henry may have met an ill fate during the cliffhanging clash at the end of the game, though this is currently speculation. Regardless, the result of the brothers' conflict is expected to be explained at some point during Desperate Struggle. External links * Official trailer at GameTrailers